New B.C. study looks to end childhood allergies

For many families, managing a child’s food allergy can mean constant worry and social isolation.

That was the case for Andrea Harrison, whose son Redford was diagnosed with seven allergies before he was a year old.

Harrison feared her son was destined to require an EpiPen for the rest of his life.

“What was even more terrifying was to go to the doctor’s office and ask, what can we do about it? Nothing,” she said.

That ended after she was referred to a new program at BC Children’s Hospital and UBC that is working to make childhood food allergies a thing of the past.

The program is called oral immunotherapy, which is a protocol that helps kids build tolerance to allergenic foods, one very small bite at a time.

“We are starting with a really tiny amount and gradually increasing them,” said Dr. Lianne Sooller, one of the program’s co-founders.

“[This allows] them to have their immune system start to get used to eating that food every day in a small amount and increasing it until they are able to tolerate a full serving.”

Soller says they have seen the most success with younger children, with just four per cent of the 2,500 participating families needing an EpiPen during the process.

“They can go to restaurants, they can travel internationally, they can have sleepovers and participate in school trips,” she said.

“So it’s a huge weight off the child and the parent, especially the parent at this young age.”

The program is also designed to be highly accessible, free of pricey medications, with families able to participate over Zoom.

“It doesn’t require a prescription or any costly products,” Soller said. “Really, you can go to the grocery store, follow our protocol, and you are able to do the treatment for very cheap.”

Now four years old, Redford is free to just be a kid, playing with friends without fear of accidental exposure.

“I cannot tell you how proud he is to not have his allergies,” Harrison said.

“He’s only four, and for him to recognize that he had allergies and no longer has them, it’s amazing to see.”

Going forward, the study’s researchers say they want to look at helping ease the burden of allergies on older children.

More details about the study can be found here.